Medical & Healthcare Shortlist

POLYMER COATINGS TO CONTROL IN-STENT RESTENOSIS

Biomer and Liverpool University

Stent surgery is routine these days: the insertion of a metal framework inside a narrowed blood vessel ensures that the blood can flow properly. However, there are drawbacks: stents can encourage the growth of smooth muscle cells, which can lead to further blockages. Researchers from Biomer Technology, which develops polymers for medical devices, have collaborated with Rachel Wilson, a biocompatibility expert from Liverpool University, to develop a polymer that would prevent this from happening.

The subject of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership, the project brought together Biomer’s materials and chemistry with Wilson’s cell-culture testing to establish an in-vitro test to determine whether stents — as well as other cardiovascular devices — would be biocompatible.

The key property for the stents is that they inhibit the growth of smooth muscle cells and stimulate the growth of endothelial cells, which form the lining of healthy blood vessels. The project, according to Biomer, has allowed it to identify candidate materials for biocompatible polymer applications earlier and to speed up their optimisation. This has allowed it to get its products into clinical trials earlier; one new polymer is currently in ‘firstin- human’ trials in the US.